Rachel's Suitor
by singahappysong13
Summary: Brave/Glee crossover. Rachel is princess of Dunbroch. Quinn's father is the new Lord MacGuffin, and she must compete in Rachel's challenge. This is kind of a crackfic
1. It's Just a Formality

_Disclaimer: I don't own _Glee_ or _Brave_. There'd be lots more lesbians in both if I did.  
AN: This is my first multi-chapter fic. All mistakes are sadly my own. I hope you like this. Oh I decided not to write them with Scottish accents, I thought it would take away from the writing and would be kind of a waste of time since no one's going to read it anyway... This is an AU where it's been generations since Merida's been queen and the English to the South have become very influential to the Dunbroch kingdom. Now they have English/American accents and some Englishmen have joined the clans and even have become Lords._

The four clans of Dunbroch only gather for three reasons: one or more of them is threatened, the king or queen has a child, or this child becomes old enough to look for a suitor. It's always tense when one of the clans is threatened. All of the greatest warriors of the clans meet and discuss and plan. It's no place for the weak. But when a child is born to the royal family, only the clan leaders and their spouses come. They bring good wishes and tidings. It's subdued when it should be cheerful; they know it's a big deal but they try not to make it one in case the child dies prematurely. But when that child comes of age and begins looking for a suitor, everyone who can travel without risk to themselves or their clans comes and a great festival is held.

* * *

Today was the 16th birthday of Princess Rachel of Dunbroch. She's spent her whole life preparing for this day or more accurately, what this day will bring. Today, the clans would gather and she would begin looking for a suitor, someone to marry and rule the kingdom with, someone to spend the rest of her life with, someone she'd be meeting for the first time today. Needless to say, she was freaking out.

She was pacing in her bedroom, half-dressed and crazy eyed and haired, with her best friend and servant, Blaine. He was helping her get dressed, but kind of failing since she wouldn't stand still.

"Calm down, Rachel. It's going to be fine," he said.

"Fine? It is going to be fine? You are not serious right? Surely you are joking. Today is going to change my life. What if I do not find someone? Or worse, what if a Dingwall wins my challenge?" she whipped her face towards him, and her long brown hair hit his face. She stared at him, in his Dunbroch tartan, furs, and _what was that around his neck? Why is it tied like a bow? You know what? Nevermind._ She never really understood his style, but then again, no one ever really understood hers.

He was stunned for a second, but managed to pull himself together when he remembered that Rachel has been a Drama Princess all her life. "Rachel please, stop freaking out. You don't even have to decide yet, remember? Wasn't your dad a Dingwall?" He paused when he noticed her blushing, "who cares anyway, the challenge is just a formality. Just go and have fun. Today's all about just meeting and getting to know people," Blaine grinned as Rachel began to calm down and pull her dress over herself. "Please don't make Shelby have to come in here and tell us the legend of the old kingdom, _again_."

"Ugh god, not that again. Seriously if I have to hear that crap about Bear Prince Mor'du and Princess Merida and Bear Queen Elinor one more time, I'm gonna find that witch myself and turn Shelby into a bear!" Sugar exclaimed as she rushed into the room, bearing tea for the princess. The girl was dressed simply, in a plain yellow dress that clashed greatly with her lively personality. She seemed to know this as she went straight to Rachel's jewelry box after setting down the tea. She put on her friend's bracelets and necklaces until she seemed satisfied. "Dysentery," she said when she saw them staring at her with wide eyes. She looked at Rachel, who was wearing a traditional light blue dress with white and cream accents. "You look good girl, much better than your usual kilt, stockings, and fur sweater."

"Please Sugar, we all know that everyone love my outfits," the princess joked as she pulled her hair up into a bun and ignored how half of her jewelry box was now draped on her servant. "And I don't know why you say that legend is not real. I am certain that we still have relics from Elinor and Merida's respective reigns." Blaine looked like he was going to agree but was cut off by Sugar.

"I already told you it's dysentery," she looked at them meaningfully, "and the fact that Shelby always has to knock a chess board over and then make me clean it up when she's telling that story I mean seriously."

Blaine still looked like he wanted to say something, and so did Rachel really, but she just finished putting her hair into the matching headpiece of her dress and decided it wasn't worth it to argue with Sugar's "dysentery" logic. Once her crown was firmly placed on her head, Rachel led them out of the room without a word and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast before the clans arrived.

In the kitchen they passed the woman Sugar couldn't not complain about, Shelby, Rachel's nanny and birth-mother. Shelby appraised the princess and her friends when she saw them and handed each an apple. When she reached Rachel, she smiled and held the princess's face with both hands. "I am so proud of you, child. You've grown up so much," Shelby said and Rachel could see her eyes glistening with pride and unshed tears.

Rachel kissed her on the cheek and said, "Thank you for everything, Shelby." She wanted to say more, but for once in her life, words wouldn't come. As she pulled away, she looked back at her companions. Blaine was trying to pretend he wasn't crying, but failed, while Sugar looked absolutely bored as she played with the apple she was eating. Rachel smiled at them as she bit into her own piece of fruit.

* * *

Eventually, Shelby released the three teenagers to the throne room where they found Rachel's fathers, King Hiram and King Leroy, seated. Rachel always loved the way her fathers looked in their identical furs, paired with the Dunbroch tartan. Sometimes, they made it really hard to discern one man from the other despite differing facial features and hair textures.

Leroy looked up from his husband's loving face when he heard his daughter and her companions entering. The three were wide-eyed with excitement for today's events. Leroy remembered being just as excited , the day he met Hiram. He looked at his only daughter and smiled before beckoning her. He wanted to say something, to make sure she knew that he would love and support her no matter what, that she shouldn't feel pressured by anything that happens today. But when he looked into her eyes, he could tell that she already knew. So instead, Leroy kissed her forehead.

As the drums signalling the arrival of the other clans' ships became audible, Rachel sat in her throne on her fathers' left. Blaine and Sugar rushed to a corner of the stone room. The five of them were still as they awaited their guests and awaited the future.


	2. Only For the Clan

**_Disclaimer: I do not own _Glee _or _Brave.**

**_AN: This chapter may be confusing to some. First view of Quinn and the other challengers._**

Quinn's short, choppy hair flew wildly around her as she grabbed Brittany's hand to help her climb out of the ship and onto the dock. Since Quinn was competing in the challenge today, she had shoulder-length hair and was wearing furs and the MacGuffin tartan while the taller blonde was in a MacGuffin green dress and had hair that reached halfway down her back. Quinn didn't know how to feel about having to compete in the princess's challenge, formality or not. She sighed, her father was head of the MacGuffins and she had to compete.

When everyone got off the ship, they headed towards the stone castle. Brittany gasped when she saw how huge it was. Quinn would've made fun of her for it if she wasn't too busy trying to catch her own breath. As they left the dock, Quinn could see the Macintosh and Dingwall clans making their way to the castle. There was a tall, thin man with blue tattoos walking with a more tan, more toned boy with a shaved head among the horde of brunette Macintoshes. With the Dingwalls she could see a plethora of extremely random looking people. _God, how can that woman be so tan?_ and _why does that girl with raven hair have eyes that can barely open? _crossed her mind while she scanned the yellow-green and orange crowd.

"It's pretty amazing, don't you think?" Quinn's best friend, Sam, said as he came up behind her and Brittany. The tall blond boy was dressed similarly to Quinn, except he didn't look like he was wearing a costume. He had helped row the ship they were just on, and had to stay behind to make sure everything was in order. Quinn would've had to row the ship as well if her father didn't think she should be rested up for the challenge. The three blond heads stared at the castle and the people in awe. That is, until a tall blonde in matching shirt and pants sewed from the MacGuffin tartan pushed them all onto the ground.

"Get out of my way, you nuisances. I just spent six hours on a canoe full of disgustingly burly, blond men, pounding on drums to hide the sound of the hot, animal sex I knew was happening somewhere on deck," she paused and stared intently at the three, as if they were the ones having the hot, animal sex. "I don't need to be stopped by a wall of flabby blond flesh while I make my escape!" Sylvester growled at them, kicking dirt on the sprawled out teenagers before marching off towards the castle.

"God she is crazy," Sam said as he jumped up and helped Brittany to her feet.

"I still can't believe she made Becky make all those clothes for her," Brittany said, staring after Sylvester.

"I will never understand her," Quinn agreed as she got up and started shaking the dirt off herself. "Crap," she said when she saw the damage to her and her friends' outfits. Quinn had spent the whole boat ride fretting as she tried to keep her clothes clean. Brittany giggled and Sam rolled his eyes but they both moved closer to protect her every time Quinn nearly jumped out of her skin because she didn't want to get splashed. They understood why she did it, even though they might make fun of her for it from time to time. Even if she didn't want to be in the challenge, Quinn wanted to look her best because she was representing MacGuffin. Not because she wanted to impress the princess. No, she wanted to impress the other clans. Quinn had spent her whole life preparing for this challenge, not for the princess but for her clan.

This thought, and all others really, left her mind entirely when she stood with the other MacGuffins in the throne room and saw Princess Rachel for the first time.

"Friends, Dunbrochians, Countrymen! Lend me your ears!" King Leroy said to the congregation before him. Everyone laughed uproariously at his joke. When the English had come to the clans all those generations ago, they brought their literature and music. Some of them even intermarried and joined the clans, many to Dingwall. "Welcome to the great gathering of the clans, where we celebrate our next generation coming of age and preparing for the responsibility that comes with adulthood," Leroy continued once the crowd calmed down. "Today is the beginning of a great festival that will last a week and resume every year on my daughter's birthday until she chooses a suitor..."

Sam stopped listening after this. He'd heard it all before. But hey, one look at his friends told him they weren't listening either. Brittany was staring over at the Dingwalls, probably trying to figure out just how different some of them were. Quinn seemed to be dreamily staring at Princess Rachel. Like seriously, she was drooling. Sam felt kind of hurt about that; he'd always had a crush on his best friend, but at the same time he always knew Quinn would have a chance to be with Princess Rachel. Staring at the two girls, he decided he'd rather be a good friend and help Quinn be happy, even if it was hard for him.

"Who will compete in the princess's challenge?" King Leroy said. He looked towards the Macintoshes expectantly.

"Macintosh!" the clan yelled with gusto.

A tall, thin man with messy brown hair and blue tattoos on his face and shoulder stepped forward. "I present my one and only son, Finnigan." A boy around their age stepped forward. He looked just like his father, except younger and taller and with his shoulder tattoo stretching down to the fingertips of his right hand. He stood there and gave a nervous half-smile to the princess before running his blue hand through his long dark hair and stepping back. His father stopped him from slinking back into the Macintosh masses with a hand, smiled at his son proudly, and then looked back at the king expectantly. Leroy smiled before nodding at the Dingwalls.

"Dingwall!" the clan yelled, stomping their feet.

A man, more heavy-set than Lord Macintosh but less so than most of the MacGuffins, with a mostly bald head and kind eyes stepped forward. "This is my son Kurt," he said with a smile. A scrawny boy with what could only be called a feminine physique stepped forward. He seemed confident for someone who so obviously didn't want to compete.

_At least he won't be much competition_, Quinn thought. Before she could figure out why she was so relieved by this, her whole clan yelled, "MacGuffin!" She was deafened for a minute by Brittany's excited shriek in her ear so she didn't notice when her father finished his introduction until Sam pushed her forward. Quinn tried to look as confident as she could as she put her hands on her hips and smirked. Of course once she made eye contact with the princess, she had no idea what her body did as her mind went blank once again.

Quinn seemed to awaken from her princess-induced stupor when Princess Rachel began to speak. "After deep consideration, I've decided that appearance and brute strength are not what is required to be a great ruler. In fact, the greatest requirement is probably knowledge. But," Princess Rachel huffed when the deep groan the crowd just emitted turned into a suspended silence. "I believe, being the brilliant singer that I am, my spouse should not only be a fantastic singer as well, but his or her voice should complement my own. Therefore, the challenge will be a singing competition," she said with an unnaturally wide smile.

Sam looked at his best friend to see how she took this news. He couldn't hear King Leroy's next words. He couldn't see the visible gulp that Finnigan took or the wicked smile that Kurt now wore. He couldn't even see Quinn's face through the now jostling crowd trying to get out the door, but from seeing the red of her neck he guessed she was struck with fear. _Oh, _Sam thought, _they had a lot to do if Quinn was serious about wanting to win this challenge and Princess Rachel's heart_.

**_AN: God Quinn, stop getting distracted by Rachel. You keep missing things!_**

**_Challenge is in the next chapter. Woot singing! Please review, if you're actually reading this._**

**_Hope you all had a good Holiday. Or if you don't live in America, are having a good weekend. I would've had chapter 3 up yesterday, but my sister took me to Disneyland where I proceeded to almost get hypothermia. I'm hoping to get chapter 3 up today or tomorrow. The delay is because a lot happens in this chapter and I want to get it as right as possible. Monday, I go back to school so updates will be farther apart. After chapter 3, chapters should be longer though. So_ yay?**


	3. Haggis

_**I do not own **_**Glee _or_ Brave**

"I like to eat, eat, eat apples and haggis," Brittany sang between giggles.

"Why would you—haggis is disgusting in like every single way," Sam said.

"Brittany, I am not singing that," Quinn said with a scowl.

Brittany gasped, "Why not? It's a fun song!"

Sam stared at her for a minute before looking back to Quinn. The three were sitting in the tent Quinn shared with her father in the MacGuffin camp. After the presentation of the challengers and the announcement of what the challenge was, everyone left the throne room so tables could be brought in and a great feast could be held. The feast would last a couple of hours and then the challenge would take place, so Quinn, Sam, and Brittany were skipping it in favor of preparing. Quinn seemed more like herself now that she was surrounded by her friends and the things she brought from home. She didn't mention her new-found crush on the princess, but thankfully, Sam and Brittany haven't asked about her motivations for the challenge. They seemed to just assume she still just wanted to win for the clan; well actually, Sam would rather just believe that for now.

"How about a traditional song?" he said, after a minute of silence.

"Like what?" Quinn said.

"Ooh ooh sing 'Amazing Grace,' Quinn! It's classic and I bet Rachel would loooove it," Brittany jumped up and down with excitement. Sam grimaced and Quinn blushed, _what does Brittany know?_

"Actually, I was thinking you should sing Merida's hymn," Sam said with a shy smile that was wiped off when he saw the blank stare Quinn was giving him. "You don't know...how do you not know?" His eyes widened comically.

"Well, tell us already!" Quinn snapped impatiently when Sam just sat there, mouth gaping in disbelief.

"Well you know the legend of Queen Merida, right?" he said eyes still wide.

"Of course, she turned her mother into a bear for two days. What does that fairy tale have to do with anything?" Quinn snarled.

Brittany gasped, "It's not a fairy tale, Q! That happened," she nodded as if there were no doubt about it.

"B's right. It's legit," Sam grinned widely before seeing the glare on Quinn's face. _God, she can be scary._ But after musing a bit he realized, _she's on edge because she's nervous to sing for Rachel. _"Anyway," he said, trying to get to the point so he wouldn't get his head bitten off in a nerve-induced rage, "they say the whole bear thing only happened because Merida didn't want to get married. And when Queen Elinor was still a bear, she decided that the princess should be allowed to follow her heart and marry whomever she wanted to, remember?"

"Yeah, that's why the princess's challenge is just a formality. No one wins, the clans just gossip about who they thought was best, and that person gets pride," Quinn said calmer than before, even though she had no idea where Sam was going with this.

"I don't get it, weren't you talking about possible songs for Quinn to sing in Rachel's challenge?" Brittany said, voicing Quinn's thoughts. The two girls looked at Sam expectantly.

"Well, this was such a tremendous turnaround for Elinor and Merida. I mean, the whole bear fiasco taught them so much about each other so some Macintoshes decided to write a song about them. It became known as Merida's hymn, even though I'm pretty sure it isn't even a hymn," he explained slowly. He was slightly unnerved when Brittany and Quinn just stared at him.

Finally Brittany said, "I think you should totes sing it Q."

* * *

Quinn stood in the Dunbroch throne room once more. She stood in a corner of the room, on the stone platform the thrones normally were on. Though not traditional or nearly big enough for all the spectators, Princess Rachel had insisted the best acoustics in the kingdom were in the throne room, and the best place in the room for everyone to see the performer would be on this platform. That's how Quinn, Finnigan, and Kurt got there, watching King Leroy explain the challenge while King Hiram and Princess Rachel watched from their thrones that were now perpendicular to where they normally were.

Finnigan didn't seem to really know what was going on. From afar he would seem nervous, but to Quinn who was standing next to him, he just seemed constipated.

Kurt, on her right, seemed to be much more competition than she originally thought. He had a shit-eating smile on his face that just said he knew he was going to win. And the way he kept glancing over at Rachel was starting to piss Quinn off. _Wait, _she thought, _is that brunette guy with the cowlick and huge eyebrows staring at Kurt? _Quinn breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Kurt was only competition in the challenge. She turned red when she realized that Kurt heard her exhalation and was now looking at her weirdly, but was saved from further embarrassment when the audience cheered and Finnigan moved toward the stage to perform.

A piper started playing a soothing melody as Finn began to sing. "Oh Flower of Scotland, when will we see your light again?" Quinn was surprised that Finn was singing "Flower of Scotland," it was incredibly traditional and iconic, almost a lullaby for the little ones despite its meaning. Finn's voice carried the song well, he was a little rough around the edges but wasn't unpleasant. She looked at Rachel and saw that she seemed to be enjoying it. Quinn didn't know how to feel about that. Soon enough Finnigan finished the song with, "And sent him homeward to think again." Applause filled the throne room and Finnigan bowed with an unreadable expression on his face before joining the Macintoshes in the audience.

Quinn stared at him with her eyes narrowed until she noticed that Kurt was no longer next to her but in the middle of the stage, beginning to perform. She almost laughed when she heard the bagpipes playing the familiar tune. She remembered how Brittany had suggested she sing "Amazing Grace." Quinn was lucky she decided not to, it would be awkward if they sang the same song. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound," he sang. Quinn was surprised by how high his voice was. The rest of the crowd was surprised too she noticed, except for the Dingwalls. _He must sing a lot_, she figured. Quinn couldn't decipher the look on Rachel's face. She; that boy with the cowlick; and a tanner brunette seemed to be in a deep, whispered discussion. Quinn couldn't read lips, but she sure tried her hardest. By the time Kurt sang, "I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind, but now I see," the last time and applause filled the throne room, Quinn was disheartened to find she still had no idea what they were saying.

Quinn tried to muster up some confidence as she plastered a smile on her face, _or was that a smirk? What was her face doing?_ Quinn tried to calm down as she heard the first notes of a lyre and fiddle. "Though I may speak some tongue of old or even spit out some holy word, I have no strength with which to speak when you sit me down and see I am weak," Quinn sang. She looked at the crowd as the music built up. Sam and Brittany both gave her two thumbs ups and huge grins, so she guessed she must be doing pretty good. She smiled through her next lines, "We will run and scream, you will dance with me, we'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free." Quinn saw some people swaying back and forth with the music. _Were they doing that for Finn or Kurt?_ Her clan seemed pleasantly surprised that she was able to sing, since she never did around them. "We will be who we are, and they'll heal our scars. Sadness will be far away." She looked at her father, Russel was smiling proudly. Quinn was surprised; he never smiled, never for her. With her next lines she looked at Rachel and once against lost herself, "So I had done wrong but you put me right. My judgement burned in the black of night. When I give less than I take, it is my fault my own mistake." Somehow she managed to keep the words coming out of her mouth and the feet on the ground while her head was in the clouds with the princess. "We will run and scream, you will dance with me, we'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free. We will be who we are, and they'll heal our scars. Sadness will be far away," she finished the song dreamily. She curtsied when the music ended and the applause began and then found her way into the arms of her excited best friends.

As Brittany and Sam led her out of the throne room, their excited chatter entirely lost on her, the roaring in Quinn's ears finally stopped and a wide grin found its way on her face.

Rachel sat on her bed with Blaine and Sugar. It was nearly sunset and the clans were back at their camps. Sugar kept singing the chorus of Quinn's song, well she was trying to sing. It was nothing like Rachel's voice, or even Blaine's. Sugar was more like shrieking than singing.

It was obvious that Quinn's was Sugar's favorite song of the three. Blaine's favorite was "Amazing Grace." He loved Kurt's performance, and had called dibs on the boy during his performance. Rachel was fine with that, it was obvious that Kurt was more interested in Blaine than her anyway. She hoped her best friend would be happy with the Dingwall. Rachel couldn't decide which her favorite was, or who she wanted as a suitor.

She had enjoyed Kurt's performance, but his vocal range was too close to her own to complement it. Finnigan and Quinn's voices were nice. They could both complement her well, but in different ways. Both competitors seemed interested in her romantically it seemed, though she couldn't be certain. She was sure she'd seen desire in both challengers' eyes.

"They all chose great songs," Blaine said over Sugar's shrieking, cutting through Rachel's thoughts. "'Amazing Grace' was really a wonderful choice."

Sugar rolled her eyes, "Blaine, stop talking about Kurt. No one cares! We all know you want him, Rachel and I aren't touching him. Let's help our princess decide between the two remaining suitors, okay? Oh, and dysentery." Rachel wouldn't admit this, but she actually agreed with Sugar. "Now Rach," Rachel gulped when Sugar fixed her gaze upon her, "are you taking Quinn as a serious option for a suitor? Or was that 'his or her voice should complement my own' thing just for show? Dysentery."

"I have always been attracted to both men and women, I just may not have voiced it as loudly as the two of you," Sugar laughed and threw her arms around Blaine, who smiled fondly at his friends. "I am fully open to the possibility of a relationship with both of the challengers, as well as any other youth that I may meet at the festival and have a connection with. Not to say I have a connection with Quinn or Finn, or that I want to date any of them at the same time," Rachel added when Sugar giggled and Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"In that case, I think Quinn gets a few points for creativity since Finn chose a pretty obvious song to sing," Blaine said.

"Like Kurt didn't," Sugar said under her breath. Rachel guessed the "dysentery" was implied, since Sugar didn't bother saying it.

Blaine stared at her for a minute before continuing as if he'd never stopped talking, "But I think Quinn should lose a few points since the other two challengers' songs had way more lyrics. Quinn's song was mainly music."

"That's true Blaine, but I believe she chose a song with few lyrics because she wanted to do something different and thus learned a brand new song in such a short amount of time. Which really, may or may not be beneficial. I really enjoyed Quinn's and the audience appeared to have too, more so than the iconic songs the other challengers sang," Rachel explained. "Although it's true that this was a singing competition and Quinn's song showcased the music, not her singing ability. It might have been a good choice for her since her voice wasn't as strong as Kurt's and she would have embarrassed herself trying to follow him with a song with many words. In this way, she may have made a better decision than Finn did, though I do not know if this will help her in the long run."

Sugar raised an eyebrow from her place leaning against Blaine's side. "I like Quinn because A she's totally hot, B her song was super catchy, C she did something we didn't expect, D Finn looked like a piece of haggis, and E his song basically was haggis. Dysentery."

Just then, Shelby walked into the room. "Time for dinner, kids. Come down and eat your haggis."

Blaine and Rachel grimaced while Sugar smirked.

**_I think it looks less cluttered when songs are written in paragraph form like this. Don't agree? Review and tell me._**

**_Brittany sings www. youtube watch ?v=OKEUAzzn-Ig in the beginning. But bananas are a tropical fruit, so I just had her eat haggis instead._**

**_Finn sings "Flower of Scotland" www. youtube watch ?v=i0MklIdTiaU which is "the unofficial national anthem of Scotland." Which is inspired by Edward II of England in the 1300s. I don't know much of it, except for this freepages. .ancestry ~levarre/floscot/floscot. htm The story of Edward seems like a combination of what Russian Czarina Catherine the Great did to her husband, Peter III and what English Queen Elizabeth I did to Mary Queen of Scots. I'm not too sure how this song became so important for Scotland, I kind of stopped reading once they described how they killed Edward...gross. Woo history_**

**_Kurt sings "Amazing Grace" which is written by John Newton. I could probably expound on some background history on that, but nah_**

**_Quinn sings "Learn Me" by Mumford and Sons and Birdy www. youtube watch?v=cUoZN4cpfmM which Sam calls "Merida's hymn"_**

**_Next chapter we meet some more members of New Directions._**


	4. Caber Toss

_**I do not own **_**Glee _or _Brave**

"Let the games begin!" King Leroy announced. He was standing in front of his throne which had been moved to the courtyard so he could watch the Games. There was a large crowd gathered around a clearing in front of the thrones. Inside the clearing were numerous thin logs over 100 lbs each.

Rachel sat in her throne next to her fathers'. Blaine and Sugar stood nearby, waiting for the event to start. They both looked excited, Rachel assumed they just wanted to see some big, strong men throw heavy things around.

As King Leroy sat down, a man with thick, curly brown hair stepped into the clearing. He wore the Macintosh tartan. Rachel knew him to be the Macintosh singing teacher, Schuester, and was only mildly surprised to see him running the show. "Today's event is the caber toss," Schuester's announcement was met with applause from the audience. "Our first tosser is Samuel of MacGuffin," the crowd cheered and even some jeers could be heard.

Sugar whistled as a tall, blonde boy with a huge mouth stepped forward. He grinned widely, which made his mouth bigger. Sugar smirked and whispered in Blaine's ear. When the Dunbroch boy turned red and a quiet "dysentery" could be heard, Rachel knew Sugar had made a lewd joke.

As Samuel stepped in front of a caber that was off to the side, Schuester brought it to him by holding one end of it in his hands and walking toward the boy with the other end stuck on the ground so that each step he took made the tree trunk more vertical. When Schuester finally reached the competitor and the caber was at a 90 degree angle to the ground, Sam wrapped his hands around the trunk. The crowd watched as the boy slid down the wooden pole so he could get his hands cupped underneath it. Rachel heard another soft "dysentery" as Sam began to run forward with the caber. A few steps and he pushed the pole up. The crowd cheered as the caber flipped in the air and landed upside down and then fell onto its side away from Sam.

"Eleven o'clock!" Schuester pronounced and the crowd cheered. Rachel and her fathers joined in clapping this time, that was a great score. Caber tossing is scored by the angle of the tip of the caber to the tosser, but the angle is measured as if the space were the face of a clock. So a perfect score is 12:00, and 11:00 is equal to 1:00.

Rachel watched as Samuel walked towards a blonde she recognised. Quinn, in a MacGuffin green dress today, and a taller blonde dressed similarly screamed and wrapped their arms around Sam in excitement. Rachel smiled at the sight. When Quinn, Samuel, and the other blonde disappeared off into the crowd, Rachel was surprised to find that she was disappointed.

Rachel didn't pay attention to the next few competitors. The three lords of the clans competed and Rachel didn't even notice. It wasn't until Sugar giggled near her ear about a Dingwall with a contagious smile looking like a bear, that Rachel began to pay attention again. "Maybe there is something to that legend after all," Sugar said while the man named Karofsky got a 1:30. Rachel rolled her eyes at Sugar's comment but was surprised when she noticed the competitor was received with hugs from Kurt and some strange-looking women before disappearing into the crowd.

The next competitor was Finnigan of Macintosh and Rachel was actually paying attention. She heard Sugar say something about a "dopey grin," but she thought the smile on the competitor's face was quite endearing. It seemed to take Finn twice as long to get his hands underneath the caber. Sugar kept sighing dramatically.

Once Finn got his score of 10:00, King Hiram leaned over to Rachel's ear and whispered, "After the next competitor, take Sugar and Blaine out to the festival. They're too loud. And besides, I know you want to get out of here." Her father wore a wide smile that Rachel returned before turning back to watch Puckerman of Macintosh toss the caber. After it was announced that he got a 12:30, King Hiram nodded at Rachel. She stood up and discreetly moved away from the thrones and into the crowd, Blaine and Sugar on her heels.

* * *

"Damn, boy. I still can't believe you got a 1:30!" Mercedes said to Karofsky.

"Yeah kid, that was some amazing shit you did there," Santana agreed.

Tina and Kurt just gave the huge boy smiles, they were all very proud of their friend. Karofsky smiled self-consciously at the attention. The five Dingwalls were walking around the festival. They'd left the caber toss after Karofsky got his score since there was no reason for them to stay. They didn't care much for the other competitors and Santana had complained all throughout most of Karofsky's toss about her hunger. So now, they were walking around the various makeshift shops and bars trying to find a place that served bannocks for Santana and calcannon cakes for Mercedes. When they found a MacGuffin restaurant that served both, the four friends had convinced themselves that the wisps had led them there so they could escape Santana's incessant bitching.

"Praise the wisps!" Mercedes said as she walked into the dining area. She and Santana all but raced to the counter where a blonde woman was taking orders.

As the two of them ordered, Kurt, Karofsky, and Tina sat down at a table.

A few tables away sat Sam, Brittany, and Quinn. The three were celebrating Sam's amazing score when the strange group of Dingwalls entered. Sam and Brittany couldn't take their eyes off of the dark-skinned ladies ordering food while Quinn was staring at the feminine boy with the bear-like man and strangely colored, raven-haired girl. Kurt really did have amazing singing ability. If the challenge was actually judged, Quinn was sure Kurt would have win. She was about to get up and tell him this when the thinner of the two dark women blocked her way.

"Hey, I'm Santana," the girl said with a smirk. Quinn noticed Santana was only looking at Brittany. "I was wondering if you guys would like to join us over there," she gestured to the table where Kurt was sitting then looked to Quinn for the first time, "what with you being a challenger and my boy Kurt being a challenger."

Even though she had wanted to talk to Kurt, Quinn felt kind of put on the spot. She looked at Brittany who was grinning widely and nodding while Sam just shrugged and got up. She smiled at Santana and went along to the group of Dingwalls. The three MacGuffins connected a table with the Dingwalls' and sat down with them. Quinn noticed that Santana sat next to Brittany. Sam sat on Brittany's other side and Quinn sat between him and Kurt.

"Hey, I'm Sam," Sam said.

"I'm Quinn," she said to the Dingwalls. When she saw that Brittany was too distracted by Santana to introduce herself, Quinn added, "and she's Brittany."

"Kurt," the boy on her right smiled at her. Gesturing to the raven-haired girl and the brawny boy on his other side, Kurt said "This is Tina and Karofsky." As he said this, the darker girl from earlier sat down between Karofsky and Santana bearing trays of food. "This is Mercedes and I think you already met Santana." Mercedes smiled but Santana hasn't seemed to realize they were talking about her since she was so absorbed in her conversation with Brittany.

"I don't think we'll be getting their attention again," Mercedes said fondly. "It's probably a good thing, she'll probably scare you two away." Everyone laughs at this while Mercedes passes food out to the Dingwalls.

This seemed to actually get Santana and Brittany's attention however as the Dingwall looked up from her conversation, "You gets ma' bannocks, Weezy?" Quinn wasn't entirely sure of what the girl just said, but judging by the other Dingwalls' expessions, she guessed that Santana talked like that quite often. Mercedes laughed before passing the girl a plate of the bread and taking a piece for herself. Santana took the plate and continued her conversation with Brittany.

In fact, Quinn noticed that all of the Dingwalls were eating now. They all seemed to be eating stovies and Forfar bridies with crowdie cheese. Only Mercedes and Santana weren't; instead, they were just eating calcannon cakes and bannocks respectively. Quinn raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Aren't you guys hungry?" Tina asked the MacGuffins.

"Nah, we already ate," Sam answered. "The owners of this place are friends of ours and they fed us well before you guys came in," he smiled widely.

"Oh, it's just kind of awkward that you guys are watching us eat," Tina said. Quinn didn't know what to say to that; Tina was right, it _was_ awkward.

"So, Quinn right? I really liked your song" Mercedes said to break the tension.

Quinn smiled, "Thanks, Sam picked it."

Sam blushed as everyone's eyes widened and they praised him. Mercedes smiled at him as she bit into a calcannon cake.

"Besides," Quinn went on, "I was nothing compared to you, Kurt. You were just amazing." Quinn must have said the right thing because instantly all of the Dingwalls smiled at her through their food.

"Thanks, Quinn," Kurt grinned smugly.

"Actually," Karofsky said, "I think you both did good in different ways, and good job Sam on picking a song that shows off Quinn's strengths."

Quinn was shocked, this was the first time Karofsky had spoken since she sat down. It seemed that even the Dingwalls were surprised. Brittany's high-pitched giggle broke through the silence that ensued, and the conversation came back to life.

"Doesn't matter which one of you is better, I'm better than both of y'all." Mercedes joked.

Kurt fake coughed, "Diva," and everyone laughed.

"So do you guys think Princess Rachel will pick a suitor this week?" Mercedes said after the laughter stopped and everyone finished their food.

The Dingwalls seemed surprised at Mercedes's question, but not by much. "Well it's not going to be me," Kurt joked. "I wouldn't mind dating that friend of hers, though."

"The guy with the bushy eyebrows?" Quinn asked. "I thought I caught you looking at him."

Kurt nodded, "He was pretty cute."

"Enough of the chitchat, let's get to what we're all wondering," Mercedes said, "Quinn, are you into Rachel?"

Quinn blushed and everyone was quiet as they stared at her, waiting for an answer. Even Santana and Brittany had stopped talking.

"I . . . uh," Quinn paused before answering when she noticed the girl in question walking into the dining area and instantly she lost her train of thought.

The others seemed to notice she was distracted and followed Quinn's line of sight to see Princess Rachel and her two friends walking toward the front to order their food.

"Holy wisps it's them!" Mercedes said. "Here's your chance, Kurt. Go talk to him."

"Oh shut up Mercedes," Kurt said with a smile.

"If you're not gonna talk to him, I will," Mercedes said with a smirk before standing up and walking to the Dunbrochs. The three were having what seemed like a whispered argument with the people who owned the place. It seemed the MacGuffins wanted to make a big deal out of the princess's presence, but Rachel didn't.

Quinn hadn't taken her eyes off of Rachel since the princess walked in. Just as Rachel looked in Quinn's direction, Mercedes blocked the view. Quinn quickly turned her head in embarrassment as Mercedes talked to the Dunbrochs. She didn't want Rachel to see her staring so she turned to talk to Kurt. Kurt however had no qualms with the Dunbrochs seeing him stare, so instead Quinn struck up a conversation with Tina, Karofsky, and Sam.

"So, uh, what do you guys do for fun in Dingwall?" she asked.

"Well we sing," Tina said. "That's how we all know each other really. We're in choir together. Kurt and Mercedes are our best singers so we were really excited for him when we found out what the challenge was." Kurt was still staring at the Dunbrochs who were talking to Mercedes. Quinn didn't want to look, in case she began to stare too.

Quinn's eyebrows rose. _That's why Kurt was so good. I wonder if Rachel had singing classes too._

"Have you had singing classes, Quinn? You were very good," Tina said and Karofsky nodded in agreement.

Quinn shook her head, "No, I thought the Macintoshes were the musical ones."

"Oh, that's not true at all," a voice said from behind her. Quinn turned around slowly to see the Dunbrochs and Mercedes. The four pulled up some chairs and joined the conversation. "Although it is true that the four clans have their specialties: the Dingwalls are the best miners and metal smiths, the Macintoshes are the most musical, the Dunbrochs have the most warriors, and the MacGuffins are the best cooks; it is not at all true that the clans do not sometimes overlap, have joint interests, or do things that are not within the status quo." Princess Rachel said.

Everyone's mouth dropped. They were now sitting, eating, and talking with the princess and had no idea how to handle such a situation.

"Well this is awkward," the tanner Dunbroch girl said. "I know we all know that she's Princess Rachel," she gestured toward the princess, "but of course, who would know who her lowly servants are? The bushy-eyebrowed gay here is Blaine and I, who am not at all lowly and have self-diagnosed dysentery so I can pretty much say whatever I want, am Sugar," she said before taking a bite of stovy.

Mercedes smiled before naming people around the table, "Well you guys know I'm Mercedes right? Here's Karofsky, Tina, Kurt, Quinn, Sam, Brittany, and Santana. We're all Dingwalls except the three blondes."

Everyone smiled at each other. Kurt and Blaine began talking and ignoring everyone else. With Rachel between Quinn and Kurt and Blaine on his other side, Quinn could no longer talk to Tina, Karofsky, Mercedes, and Sugar if she didn't want to yell across the table. To make it worse, on the other side of Sam next to her were Brittany and Santana who were still deep in some random discussion. Quinn was now stuck next to the princess who she had an intense crush on. She could barely hear anything over the beating of her heart. She looked at Sam for help, and luckily the boy understood.

"Hey Rachel," he said. "What'd you think of the challenge?" _Okay, maybe not so lucky_, Quinn thought.

Rachel smiled her stunning smile and Quinn swooned internally.

Before she could answer however, Sugar stood up and asked the table, "Who wants scotch?" Quinn could see Rachel shake her head no, but make no move to stop Sugar. Quinn's eyebrow rose as Santana and Mercedes joined Sugar in bringing the refreshments. Before she knew it, Quinn had a glass in her hand and the potent drink was down her throat. The effect was immediate: her head was pounding but her nerves were gone. Quinn smiled widely as she looked to the girl on her right, who had just downed her own drink.

_**After some probably unnecessary research of Traditional Scottish culture, I figured calcannon cakes (which really look delicious) are healthier versions of tater tots (and couldn't resist writing Totcedes) and bannocks, depending on how they are made, are similar to breadsticks. The other foods (stovies, crowdie cheese, Forfar bridies) I basically just thought sounded delicious. Any cultural discrepancies there may be, are because this is a whole 'nother universe.**_

_**What'd you guys think of New Directions? and Karofsky? While I'm asking, what'd you guys think of last week's episode? **_


	5. Weight Throw

_**So sorry for the long wait and the short length of this chapter. I'm hoping to get more out during the holiday.**_

_**I do not own **_**Glee _or _Brave**

Quinn gripped the chain in her right hand. It was connected to a 28 pound weight. She was facing a field and could see where she wanted the weight to land. There was a tent at the end of the field where the scorers stood. Quinn didn't very much think that was smart. _What if someone had a prodigious throw? Someone could die, but oh well. _There Sylvester stood, ready to measure the distance of Quinn's throw.

A few meters on Quinn's right, stood Holiday from Dingwall. The tall blonde could be mistaken for a MacGuffin, but seemed proud to be in her clan. After she announced Quinn as the next thrower, she moved off to the side to talk to Santana who was throwing next.

Quinn took a deep breath and started swinging the weight from side to side in front of her. She could hear the MacGuffins and the friends she made yesterday cheering for her from the stands. She smiled then swung the weight behind her. As the momentum swung the weight around to her front, she turned with it and took a few steps, releasing it when it reached the top of its arch.

* * *

Princess Rachel was talking with Blaine and Sugar quietly. They didn't want to be too loud so as to disturb the throwers, or the spectators, or her dads. Rachel knew she could leave whenever she wanted to, King Hiram's constant looks in her direction told her so. But the fact of the matter was, she just didn't want to. In every event of today's competition, at least one of her newfound friends from yesterday would be throwing and Rachel wanted to watch and support them all. Besides, they all agreed to meet up after the competition, so they'd have to wait for everyone anyway. Nonetheless, Sugar kept complaining. However, after Quinn's throw, Sugar seemed to find entertainment in the drama that is Rachel's love life.

"So what did you think of Quinn's throw? Sugar asked.

Rachel blushed. She had loved watching the blonde exert her strength to lift and throw the weight. It reminded her of yesterday. Rachel had watched the blonde's pale skin steadily become more and more red. Rachel had felt her own cheeks redden, though she knew it wasn't because of alcohol, as she watched Quinn's red flush spread below her collar. Rachel spent the majority of the night trying to get more glimpses of red and pale skin. By the time everyone left the restaurant, Rachel was seriously struggling to keep her hands to herself.

Sugar smirked when the usually talkative princess couldn't respond. The servant's eyes widened when she saw who was about to throw. She grinned evilly before calling for her friend's attention, "Rachel, check out the thrower."

Rachel's eyes widened when she saw Finnigan struggle to lift the large weight. He stood with his back to the field. He swung the 28 pound weight between his legs and Rachel visibly gulped. Rachel felt the same heat that surged through her body when Quinn threw, but this was different, less intense. Finn's weight didn't get very far, it flopped a couple of yards from him. When got his score, Finn stomped off the field and kicked a pole. Rachel frowned and Sugar smirked.

* * *

After everyone competed, the large group of Dingwalls, MacGuffins, and Dunbrochs met at the restaurant they'd gone to the day before. They sat at a large, square table with Blaine, Kurt, and Karofsky on one side; Tina, Mercedes, and Sam next to them; Quinn, Rachel, and Sugar across from them; and Brittany and Santana on their other side. They all ordered food and scotch. They were starving from the long day in the hot sun, and those that competed needed to relax.

Quinn and Sam were bringing everyone's drinks, leaving everyone else at the table to talk. Sam was turning back to the group, tray of drinks in hand, when suddenly the glass shattered to the floor, alcohol splashed on his legs, and a tall figure stood over him.

"Ooh sorry about that," a tall Macintosh with curly brown hair said as he reached his hand behind Sam. With one hand he took a glass from Quinn's tray and with the other he kissed her cheek, "The name's Jesse." He smirked at the shocked faces of the two MacGuffins. "Might want to clean that up," he laughed as he walked back to his friends... who were crowded around the princess.

Quinn seethed, put her tray back on the counters, and marched over to the table, Sam on her heels.

"Why are you hanging out with these freaks?" she heard one of them say. "They're losers, someone as beautiful as you should be with people more your speed." As Quinn got closer, she saw that the one talking was Finnigan.

She noticed that Puckerman guy give him two thumbs up. She rolled her eyes as the tan Macintosh spoke, "Speaking of hot, you girls should come over to our table."

As a surprise to everyone, Santana stood up. It wasn't until she began talking did they realize her motives. "Newsflash Finnocence and Puckerdouche, we 'losers' beat half your asses today alone. In fact, between all of us, we beat Lurch at least three times in three competitions." She was right; Karofsky in the heavy weight men's division got one of the best scores today at the weight throw, and Sam far surpassed Finnigan and the other Macintoshes in the light weight event.

The smirks on the Macintoshes' faces fell to be replaced with looks of confusion, anger, and even fear. Jesse, who hadn't competed today, spoke up, "Sure, you beat half of us, but do you think you could beat all of us?" All of the Macintoshes seemed to gather strength in these words, and it became much more obvious to those seated that they were surrounded by fifteen bulky men.

Quinn could see Santana and Karofsky making eye contact and she knew they were planning something, so she nudged Sam so he'd know to be ready. A second later Karofsky, Santana, and Brittany were on their feet.

Karofsky looked Finnigan right in the eyes and said, "You do not get to insult my friends." Everyone stood there waiting for something to happen, someone to move.

The tension was almost palpable. Finnigan's face visibly reddened, his eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed. Quinn saw the curly-haired guy grin widely. A second later, Finn punched the bulkier boy in the face.

Instantly two guys were on her and she was clutching her stomach. Someone had just punched her in the gut. Quinn couldn't see the others through the pain and thick walls of muscle. She could only hope that they weren't hurting her friends.

And the princess.

At the thought of Rachel, Quinn felt energy surge through her body. Her body no longer felt the pain in her stomach and sides from the men kicking her from above. Quinn suddenly had the strength to stand, punch one of the men in the face, and kick the other between the legs.

"Fucking bitch," the guy she punched growled, it was Jesse. Blood was coming out of his broken nose. He grabbed her from behind. She elbowed him in the stomach, stomped on his foot, elbowed him in the face, and then punched him between the legs. He fell to the floor and she kicked him in the stomach.

While he was down, she took the time to look around. Sam was holding his own against two Macintoshes, another was unconscious at his feet. Karofsky had four guys in a suffocating bear hug, one of which was Finnigan. Santana was swinging a long-haired ginger by his hair. Quinn watched as she let go of the boy, sending him sprawling into a guy that was just about to punch Brittany, who was busy fending off another meat head couldn't see the rest of the group. She could see three unconscious bullies around Brittany. Quinn as about to go search for the others when someone loudly yelled "Stop!"

Everyone stopped fighting and looked toward the voice. There stood Rachel, Sugar, and Blaine. Well, they weren't really standing. It was more like Sugar and Blaine were holding back the angry princess. Rachel gave her friends angry looks and they slowly dropped her arms.

"Okay, seriously everyone, stop it right now. When did we decide to start acting like children? Petty fighting and insults, really? Over what? Someone beat someone else in a competition? In case you did not know, that's how it works. The sad part about this is that we don't even make a big deal out of winners and losers. These competitions are just tests of your skill. The festival is supposed to bring is together, not tear us apart." Rachel said with exasperation. "Now," she continued after she took a deep breath, "Everyone calm down. I'm sure we can talk this out like adults, like the leaders some of us will be very soon." She looked pointedly at Finn. "With all due respect, Finnigan, I do not wish to join you and your friends tonight. I was quite enjoying myself here. That being said, I think you should apologize for insulting them and for starting this confrontation."

Despite Rachel's calm words, Finn's blood was still visibly boiling. Quinn could tell this wasn't over. She prepared herself to protect her friends if he did anything. When Puckerman put a hand on Finn's shoulder, everyone was surprised. "You're right, princess," the tan brunette said. "We acted childish. We'll be leaving now."

"Oh good, I didn't even have to do anything," a petite blonde said from behind the counter once they were gone. It was Kitty; her parents ran this restaurant. She turned to the princess. "If you were anyone else and weren't with the MacGayfins here, then I'd have to kick you all out."

Santana busted out laughing at the nickname for the three, but then she saw Brittany blushing and stopped laughing to whisper in her ear until she smiled. That didn't stop Sugar and Kurt from laughing though. Karofsky, Blaine, and Tina even awkwardly laughed at the three blushing blonds. Strangely, Mercedes and Rachel blushed along with the three.

"Anyway," Sam said awkwardly. "Who else is starving?"

The group sat back down at their table. Tina and Kitty brought over the food that they ordered before and they all talked about how today progressed and how proud they were of each other. Even Santana, Brittany, Blaine, and Kurt, who are normally in their own romantic bubbles, participated in the conversation.

**_I hope you all have happy_ _holidays_**


End file.
